Why Memphis does it: Harrington replaces Miller's stats and becomes a free agent in 2009; Wright gives the Grizzlies another young lottery pick with value; and they dump Cardinal's contract and allow him to become Utah's signature balding white guy.

Why Utah does it: If I were running the Jazz, I wouldn't trade Kirilenko because he fills so many holes for them (great shotblocker, very good defender, runs the floor, doesn't need the ball and plays all three frontcourt spots) and they can absolutely contend for the 2008 title with what they have. But when you factor in Kirilenko's monster contract (this year plus three more for $64 million) and Deron Williams' upcoming max deal, plus the Boozer/Memo Okur contracts, there's no way they're staying under the luxury tax without trading Kirilenko. Plus, could Miller potentially be a better fit for this particular Jazz team? At crunch time, they'd have Williams and Boozer playing the two-man game with three killer shooters spreading the floor (Miller, Okur and Kyle Korver). That would be deadly, right? Also, Lowry would give them their first real backup point guard since Howard Eisley was still alive, and Cardinal gives another white guy for a franchise that can never have enough white guys. I'd think long and hard about this deal if I'm Utah.

Why Golden State does it: Because Kirilenko's manifest destiny is to play in Golden State for Don Nelson. It is. You can't tell me differently. Imagine him running around with Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins. That's terrifying. Kirilenko would push the Warriors to another level and put them on the short list of true title contenders. He would. I'd like to see the Warriors do something before the deadline -- they have a gigantic trade exception, they need to improve Harrington's spot, they have some young guys with trade value (Wright, Marco Belinelli, even Patrick O'Bryant) and it would be a shame if they settled on being "the really fun team with a puncher's chance" for the second straight spring.

Why Sacramento does it: The Kings save $8 million this season, pick up a valuable trade exception, dump Shareef's contract and pick up a lottery pick in Wright. That's a no-brainer. In fact, you'd have give Geoff Petrie a standing ovation for turning Artest and $18 million of washed-up guys (Mike Bibby and Shareef) into two high lottery picks (Shelden Williams and Wright) and expiring contracts. That's how it's done. By the way, I would sell high on Artest if I were running the Kings -- he's never played better and he's never seemed more sane, but deep down, we know he's not sane. That's why you trade him right now.

Why G-State does it: Because Artest fits in with everything else happening there -- he's crazy, he can play multiple positions, he can play any style, and he'd be absolutely devastating in NellieBall because of his unparalleled talent for guarding bigger players. At crunch time, the Warriors could trot out Biedrins, Artest, Jackson, Ellis and Davis and match up with any team in the West. ... Better yet, they'd be intimidating and nuts and unpredictable and everything else you'd want from a lower seed. I wouldn't want to go anywhere NEAR THESE GUYS if they had Artest. Besides, could you put a price on the emotional Artest/Jackson reunion, even if it only lasted for a few months? We'd have to put stun guns underneath the seats of the first few rows for every Warriors game. I can't handle the thought of Artest playing for Golden State; it's so exciting and crazy that I think I just peed on myself.

(By the way, I'm tired of reading the rumor that Denver could give up Linus Kleiza, Eduardo Najera's expiring deal and a No. 1 pick for Artest. Have you watched Kleiza? He's legitimately good and the Nuggets have him locked in at a cheap price. Yeah, Artest is a better player, but look at the strong personalities on that Denver team: Melo, Iverson, J.R. Smith, Nene, K-Mart ... and now you're throwing Artest into the mix and asking George Karl to somehow handle all of these guys? It sounds like a sick psychological experiment or something. I'd rather have Kleiza, Najera and my No. 1 over rolling the dice with that emotional rollercoaster of a team every night. We've seen what Karl does with crazy, headstrong teams. The results aren't pretty.)